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Residents on Cagayan coast evacuate due to Egay


Authorities on Tuesday started the evacuation of residents living in coastal municipalities in Cagayan due to the threat of Super Typhoon Egay.

In the Sta. Ana town, personnel of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) patrolled around the barangays for evacuation operations.

“Ang mayor po natin ay ayaw niya na magkaroon ng casualty. Hanggat kaya natin silang i-evacuate, i-evacuate natin. Sasamahan po natin itong mga men in uniform,” MDRRMO Officer Marion Miranda said in Jasmin Gabriel-Galban’s “24 Oras” report.

(Our mayor is aiming for zero casualties. That’s why the evacuation is continuous.)

In its 8 p.m. bulletin, state weather bureau PAGASA placed the Babuyan Islands under Storm Signal No. 5 and the northern portion of Cagayan under Storm Signal No. 4.

The eye of the storm was last seen 135 kilometers east-northeast of Aparri, Cagayan as Egay moves northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour.

Egay devastated parts of Cagayan, bringing heavy rains, strong winds, and huge waves to the province. PAGASA also issued a storm surge warning in its 16 municipalities, with maximum surge heights exceeding one to two meters.

“Ang ginagawa ng Coast Guard dyan, lahat ng ating mga communities natin dito sa shoreline is hangga't maaari inaabisuhan na natin at pinalilikas na,” said Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Sta. Ana Station Commander Elmer Viloria.

(We advised all communities on the shoreline to evacuate.)

The Cagayan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) also said power outages marred six municipalities while some areas reported flooding. The Natallag Bridge in Peñablanca town, meanwhile, is now impassable.

“Well, mountainous area kasi ang part ng province natin. They are highly susceptible sa rain-induced landslide, ‘yun ang scenario na nakikita natin for eastern municipality,” PDRRMO Officer Ruelie Rapsing said.

(This portion of the province is mountainous so we are highly susceptible to rain-induced landslides. That’s the scenario we’re expecting here.)

Rescue and clearing operations in the province are ongoing, the report added. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA Integrated News